


Tug at the Tapestry

by nixajane



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, M/M, Pre-Slash, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2018-04-02 06:23:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4049536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nixajane/pseuds/nixajane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frigga had warned them once, in that knowing way she had, not to tug at the tapestry, or a single pulled thread might well cause the whole world to unravel. Thor had eyed the curtains with mild distrust for years after that, but Loki knew that Frigga meant it in metaphor, that the tapestry was time. Time, like tapestry, is woven almost too intricately for the eye to follow. She said to sort through the possibilities was a little like working at a loom. </p>
<p>Loki probably should have listened to his mother's advice. </p>
<p>(An AU in which Loki catches Bucky when he falls off the train, and uses him to settle a debt to Steve in the future—predictably, things do not go to plan)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A note on the Steve/Loki tag - I don't know yet how far their relationship might advance, and it might remain mostly within the realm of pre-slash and subtext. I will update tags accordingly depending where the story leads. There will not be any romance between Steve and Bucky in this story.

It has been three months since Loki has been brought to this secret SHIELD prison, and his guards always seem surprised to find that he has not yet escaped. Loki supposes it has not yet occurred to them that he is not _trying_. 

Loki does not know what he has become, that he actually feels more comfortable here than any other place he might think to go. His body still wears the tell-tale signs of his previous captivity in Asgard as well as from what had come just before, and just after. The restraints Odin had designed to contain him had left their mark, weakening his magic and his physical strength both. 

It had weakened him enough that he was in Asgard's dungeons nearly a year before he'd managed to slip out of Asgard and back to Earth. 

The mortals had a saying he found to fit his situation rather well: _out of the frying pan, and into the fire_. 

If he had been weak at the time of his escape it was nothing compared to how weak he was when he used his last reserves of magic to transport himself back to Germany, where he had visited so briefly his last time here. 

He had been spotted at once, and not yet recovered enough to flee, captured by something called HYDRA. Loki didn't know how they ever expected respect naming themselves after something from those ridiculous Olympians, but they proved rather more advanced than he had come to expect of humans. It is there Loki learns that not all humans are quite as obliging as SHIELD. Those at HYDRA had reminded him far more of his own people, in their single-minded remorseless way of experimenting on him. 

It would have been almost funny, of course. That they could think they could ever hurt him: _except…_

Well, they had instruments being powered by something so far out of even their own control, and Loki was too weakened to stand against it. The cosmic cube hummed with its pulsing stolen little bits of life inside of all of their instruments. It tore at his skin and pushed beneath the cracks the Chitauri had left inside of him. 

It did not take long to realize they were trying to control him—but it took Loki far too long to realize that they might actually succeed. 

He was near to breaking at the end. He did laugh then, quite a lot. It was so many events stacked one atop another, each of them conspiring to bring him here. They could not have harmed him before his fall from Asgard, before his time with the Chitauri, before he had known what he was. No matter their instruments, they could not have touched him then. 

But now it occurred to him that he could just give in. What was that he had told the people of earth? _The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity._

He began to think he might perhaps be better off without freedom himself, and he very well could have been lost had the Avengers not stormed the facilities and taken him into their custody instead. 

It was hard to be grateful. He knew they only did it to keep his power from falling into even worse hands, but still they had saved him. They had saved more than just his life, because he would have carried on in one form or another even had they not come. 

They had also saved what was left of _Loki_. 

Only one of them spoke to Loki. The man of Iron put shackles on his hands and feet while the assassins kept to the shadows. The green monstrosity let out huge, frustrated breaths as he watched from afar and his beloved brother was nowhere to be seen. 

Only the Captain touched him with something like concern. Only the Captain spoke. 

"It's alright," he'd said. "It's alright now. We've got you." 

The words sounded strange as they echoed through him—Loki did not know what to make of the fact that the man truly seemed to believe them.

 

_ _ _ _ _ 

 

So it is because of the Captain that Loki does not try to escape. He is curious about this man, and if he escapes he cannot study him—because if he escapes, they'll have to chase him. He stays instead, like a good little prisoner, or at least, he pretends to. What he actually does is slip out each night and leave a double in his place. 

He has taken to following Steve Rogers when not in his cell. He has never once in his life felt the need to repay what he's stolen, but to be given something, well, that's something else—and Loki knows he owes Steve Rogers a debt. His kindness when he could have been smug, his genuine desire to stop wrong from being done. Loki has not had anyone look at him with kindness in so long, he knows that did more to bring him out of that HYDRA lab alive than being hauled to his feet by the man in the iron suit. 

Steve was the only one he owed anything to, but he did not seem the type to accept gifts. He could certainly have abused his place of power had he chosen to, but he wore dark ball caps out in public instead, keeping his head down to hide his face. He did not seem at all interested in his popularity. He did not seem to want any of the things it could get him. 

Then one night Steve goes into the Captain America exhibit. Loki follows him, invisible to the sniveling crowds, with a frown. It seemed very unlike the Captain to visit what was essentially a shrine built in his honor, but it makes much more sense when he bypasses all of his own exhibits and stops in front of another. 

There is a large photo of a handsome young man, and the strange toneless voice explains that this had been Bucky Barnes. Steve Roger's best friend, since childhood. Killed at the bottom of a ravine right before the end of the war. 

Loki grins widely. Of course, it was perfect. Steve had saved his life, and Loki owed him a life in return. 

A life for a life—and Loki always pays his debts. 

_ _ _ _ _ 

 

He considers making Steve the offer only briefly. Steve Rogers is never one to put himself above others, and even for the sake of his friend he would never risk trusting such a villain as Loki. Loki would have to force this gift upon him, it was the only way to repay the debt. 

But if he is going to abscond with America's favorite Captain, he knows he will need a distraction of no small scale. 

So he stages an elaborate escape. He pulls it off rather like directing a play. He's quite comfortable in the rafters while he sets off explosions and sends a handful of doubles running off in all directions. The Avengers are called at once. 

He ignores them all but the one he's looking for, and sets off to follow him down the hall. He's talking into his radio but he's alone, as he so often is. Loki finds it curious really, the way he so often tries to fight the battle himself. Leaders, at least what he has learned of them from his father, usually send others to fight while they direct the action. 

It is, Loki is certain, why Thor will make such a horrible King. Steve, however, has very little in common with his bumbling brother—he leads, and fights, with a strange sort of symmetry. It does not change that he is almost reckless with himself, as though he is indestructible. Loki has believed that of himself, once, as well. 

"Just what are you planning to do when you find me?" Loki asks aloud. Steve spins in place, his expression remaining unchanged. He does not give away surprise, and Loki grins. 

"Show yourself," Steve says. 

"But then you would have me," Loki says wryly. "Whereas at the moment, I have you." 

Steve's expression goes even more controlled, and Loki sees his hands flex on his shield. "We're trying to help you, Loki," he says. "We're trying to contact Thor—if you could just—" 

"You think I'm here to hurt you?" Loki asks curiously. 

"I think you're going to try," Steve says tightly. 

"I'm disappointed in you, Captain," Loki says. "I thought we were becoming friends." 

The Captain moves to speak again, but Loki strikes out and catches his wrist before he can. "I owe you a debt," Loki says, letting his invisibility scatter. Steve glares back at him, but doesn't pull away as he tries to plan his next move. "I want to give you a gift." 

"Why do I find that even more worrying?" Steve asks, as he steps back with one foot, preparing to break free. Loki doesn't give him the chance. He whispers a few well-chosen words, and he can feel the power of the Tesseract collect at his fingertips. All that time HYDRA had used their weapons on him, and they never once realized he was taking all that power and storing it up. 

It only takes a small little fragment of that power to send them both straight out of this time and place. 

_ _ _ _ _ 

 

The place reminds him a little of Jotunhiem. 

The wind rushes out from the cliffs, pushing at his skin. He releases his grip on the Captain and the man falls to his knees, sucking in large, desperate breaths. Loki glances at him for a moment before turning his gaze upwards, wondering just how close his timing is. 

"Just keep breathing," Loki tells Steve distractedly. "Time travel is not for the light of heart." 

"Time travel?" Steve echoes, as he pushes himself to his feet. "Where have you brought me?" 

"I should think that would be obvious," Loki says. "You visit that exhibit at least once a week." 

Steve is nothing if not quick of mind, and he goes almost dangerously pale. "No," he whispers, and Loki is not quite sure what to make of his growing horror. His gift is pretty much perfect, and he thought he might get a thank you at least. "No, take us back!" 

"I don't think you realize what's happening right now," Loki says, stepping away for a moment to glance out at the mountains. He can see something moving towards them rather fast, along the edge of the mountain. "At this moment, you and your friend are on a speeding train. He is about to fall to his death." 

"I've already had to watch this once," Steve says, and his voice sounds strange. Loki can't understand why he's so upset. "Why would you bring me here? Why are you doing this? What did—" 

"You think I mean to make you watch," Loki realizes, his eyes softening slightly. "Captain, if you recall, I told you that I was going to give you a gift. In a few moments your friend is going to fall from that train, but he doesn't have to hit the ground." 

"What?" Steve asks, and he still looks deathly white. "What are you talking about? We can't…we can't change the past. Bucky's dead. I've had to live with that—" 

"And now you no longer do," Loki says. "Because I can stop it, and he can return to the future with us." 

"That's not possible," Steve says. 

"I am a God," Loki reminds him. "There is very little that is out of my power." 

"Bucky…he was meant to die," Steve says quietly, and Loki frowns because it's obviously tearing Steve apart to say that, to not beg instead for his friend's life. 

"Who says he was meant to?" Loki asks. "He died. There was no reason for it, other than the fact that he fell. If we went to the past and removed someone living, yes, it may have consequences. If we went to the past and killed someone that hadn't died the first time, it would be the same thing. But if we remove someone moments before their death, and take them to your present—what does it change? It changes nothing at all. History continues on thinking he died, and in the future, he is miraculously returned. Not so unlike what's already happened to you." 

There's a loud echoing screech above them from the train, and Steve's eyes shoot up the horizon in panic. "This is a trick," he says. "This has to be a trick."

"Whatever you think of me, even I would not be that cruel," Loki says. "My offer is genuine, and this is the only time I will ever make it. If you still wish me to return you home, I will. I will take you and he will die and nothing at all will change." 

A scream bounces off the mountain walls, echoing so distant it sounds almost like the wind. Loki looks up and he can see the figure above them, just a speck so far up, but falling fast. 

"You haven't much time, Captain," Loki reminds him. 

Steve spots the falling figure then, and he steps forward, his eyes wide and horrified. "This can't happen," he says. "Not again." 

"It doesn't have to," Loki reminds him. 

"Save him," Steve says firmly, his eyes latching onto Loki's. "Please, don't let him—" 

Loki waves a hand, just as Steve's friend falls into view. His momentum pulls to a sudden stop, and he floats five feet off the ground, frozen in place. His left arm is twisted beneath him and would not have faired well on the landing, but the long fall had at least deprived him of enough air that he'd fallen unconscious. He almost looked peaceful. 

Steve pushes towards him in disbelief. "Bucky?" he whispers. He reaches out to touch his friend and Loki lets go of his hold, allowing the man to fall into his friend's arms. Steve gently lowers him into the snow. "Bucky?"

"He will be fine," Loki assures him. "That was no small fall, he will most likely be out for a few minutes at least. I rather strongly suggest we head back before he wakes up, as this is going to be hard enough to explain to him as it is." 

"Why?" Steve asks, glancing up at him. "Why are you doing this?" 

"I do not like to be in anyone's debt," Loki says. "And you are not easy to please." 

"I don't—" Steve starts, but he's unable to take his eyes from his friend. 

"Most people would have been won over by small favors or trinkets, but I knew I could never repay you that way. You would not value anything material, you are too annoyingly selfless. So the only way to pay you back was to save someone you cared about. And to be quite honest, I really don't care for any of your other friends." 

Steve looks up at him like he's caught between being offended and being grateful. "We can really take him back with us?" he asks. "There won't be any consequences?" 

"Your friend's body was never recovered," Loki shrugs. "If we remove him, the story remains the same." 

Loki kneels down beside Steve, and grabs his wrist again. "Hold onto him," he warns. 

"I plan to," Steve says firmly, and Loki uses the last of the Tesseract's magic to take them home. 

_ _ _ _ _ 

 

Steve fights the nausea as the world lurches around him again, holding Bucky tightly back against him. He can feel Loki's hand on his wrist, strangely chilled, and they're pulled through a hole in time like it takes him no effort at all. Loki looks like he even enjoys it. 

_He fell into the Void,_ he remembers Thor saying once. _It changed him._

Steve isn't sure exactly what the Void is, but Tony had explained that it was sort of like space except not quite, because the Asgardians were weirdly magical and annoying and lived on a plateau planet that can't scientifically exist. 

Steve had stopped asking questions after that, but now he wishes he hadn't. Loki wasn't really like any of the other villains the Avengers had ever fought, no matter how well he had pretended to be that first time they met. 

Here, now, with Bucky alive and breathing and _real_ in his arms, he feels so sickly grateful he can hardly think. It occurs to him that this might be exactly Loki's plan, to get his allegiance, to get him on his side. Steve worries that it might even work—because whatever Loki believes Steve had done to deserve a reward like this, he knows that now he's the one in debt. He knows there's nothing he can ever give him that will be equal to Bucky's life. 

The world snaps back into place around them and Steve pulls Bucky closer as Loki lets him go, warily checking their surroundings. They had been at one of SHIELD's hidden bases when Loki had escaped and dragged him straight out of time, but there's nothing familiar about where they are now. 

"Where did you bring us?" he asks carefully. He doesn't have his shield, or any weapons, and Bucky is still out cold. He still lives in the mindset of war, and this position is indefensible. "We should—" 

Steve breaks off as he gets a closer look at the landscape laid out in front of him. He recognizes it. He's looked out from the roof of Stark Tower more times than he can count. The first thing he sees is the shattered remnants of Central Park in the distance, a barren brown rectangle in the midst of half-torn buildings. The coast is closer than Steve remembers it, washing straight up against what buildings are still left standing near its edge. 

"No," he whispers. "What—" He turns to glare at Loki, but the Asgardian looks as startled as him. "What's happened? You told me nothing would change. You said this was safe!" 

Loki turns then, but he's not looking at Steve. He's looking at Bucky with an interest Steve isn't sure he likes, a sort of gleam in his eyes like Tony gets sometimes in the lab. 

"Actually," Loki says, "I said it wouldn't change the future if we removed him moments before his death. In hindsight, I suppose it might have been prudent to check that he had, in fact, actually died." 

"He died," Steve insists. "I watched it happen. You saw it! You stopped him just feet from the ground, there's no way he could have survived that." 

"If that were the case, nothing would have changed," Loki says. "You snatched him out of the air, and life should have carried on as it was meant to. It should have followed the exact same path—there's only one reason it wouldn't, and that's if something had been taken out of it." Loki looks over at Steve with something almost like sympathy. "And the only thing we took was him." 

"I would have known if he was alive," Steve insists, his skin paling as he turns to look back at Bucky. "I would have known. I would have—" He swallows hard, letting go of Bucky only so he can press one hand against his forehead. "No. He couldn't have been. He couldn't have—because I never even looked." 

"In that exhibit you're so fond of," Loki says, "they said he had been captured by a Dr. Zola. I have heard of his works, he was not that far behind the man that worked on you." 

"He did something to him," Steve realizes. "Something so he could survive that fall. But if he survived—then we have to take him back." Steve sounds heartbroken, but he nods, as if reassuring himself. "Maybe he got amnesia, and had a family, and maybe—" 

"Captain," Loki says, not unkindly, "Your friend fell three hundred feet. There is no telling what of him survived that first time, but I seriously doubt the world would have changed this much if he had disappeared into obscurity. The only way to find out for sure would be to take him back and drop him again. We otherwise run the risk of changing things even more than we already have." 

"No!" Steve shouts. "That's not happening. I won't let that happen." 

"You needn't worry," Loki reassures him. "I do not have the power to get us back in any case." 

"You're going to have to, because we have to fix this," Steve says firmly. "I won't sacrifice Bucky, but we can't leave the world as it is. There's no telling how bad things are, or what might have happened these last seventy years. We need to find out what's changed and change it back." 

"Lovely sentiment, but it's hardly going to be that simple," Loki says. "HYDRA still uses their stolen fragments of the Tesseract in their weapons, and they did not entirely understand what they were doing when they used them on me. That power latched onto my own, and I used it to bend time to my will. I do not have that power on my own, and to get us back I would again need to borrow the power of the Tesseract." Loki steps away towards the edge of the roof. "In the world we left behind it was with Odin and quite out of my reach, in this world it could be anywhere." 

"But perhaps not all is lost," Loki decides. He surveys the landscape speculatively. "It is quite possible that here I am King. This could be my work. And if that is the case I shall be a benevolent ruler to you and your friend, and perhaps even make you my knights—" 

"Steve?" 

Steve pulls his eyes away from Loki and this ruined world at the sound of Bucky's voice. Bucky is looking up at him with a little frown, and it reminds him of the time he found him in Zola's lab. "Bucky," he says, trying not to sound as awed as he feels. "Hey." 

"Did I just fall off the train?" Bucky asks. 

"Um," Steve starts ineloquently. "You're safe now." 

"You're the worst liar ever," Bucky says, but he sounds fond as he tries to push away. "You don't even _try_ , you just say something else entirely. I fell off the train. I should be dead." 

"Yes, you should have been," Loki says. 

Bucky tenses at the voice, and before Steve can stop him he's spinning out of his arms and twisting a knife out from his boot. He already has the knife held to Loki's throat by the time Steve gets to his feet. 

Loki smirks, looking unconcerned. Steve's friend is barely out of unconsciousness, but Loki knows that had he been merely human, he would have been in trouble. This one is a hardwired survivor. It's suddenly clearer how he might have survived that fall. 

Loki twists one hand and the knife disappears. Bucky pushes back in surprise, and goes falling straight back into Steve's gently restraining grip. 

"Steve, he just made my knife disappear," Bucky says. 

"I know, buddy, it's okay," Steve says. "He's a friend. I think." 

"But I liked that knife," Bucky protests. "Dum Dum gave me that knife." 

"I'll get it back for you later, okay?" Steve says, frowning as Bucky starts to go limp in his grip. Steve notices some blood matted in his hair, and a bruise creeping out along his cheek. "He hit his head." He looks over at Loki in accusation. 

"Don't look at me," Loki says, as he gracefully gets back to his feet. "You should have been quicker to make up your mind." 

"What's he talking about, Steve?" Bucky asks, half trying to twist out of Steve's grip. 

"He's the one that saved you," he says reluctantly. "He caught you when you fell." 

"Oh," Bucky says, looking over at Loki with interest. "Thanks for that then. Sorry I tried to kill you."

"Your attempt was pathetic enough that I shall forgive you," Loki decides. "You are obviously concussed." 

"Thanks, I guess," Bucky says, before leaning his head back against Steve so he can meet his eyes. "What's with Captain Britain? Is this guy for real? Because his outfit is even more ridiculous than yours."

Steve couldn't stop a huge stupid grin from forming at Bucky's teasing. It wasn't the usual response Bucky got when he was giving Steve a bad time, and his face scrunched up in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he demands. "You're supposed to call me a jerk." 

"You are a jerk," Steve agrees, but the grin won't go away. Even with the world in pieces around him, he can't help it. 

"We should probably leave here until we can learn more of our current situation," Loki decides. "It may well be that I am now ruler of this world, but if not, we do not know what other enemies we might face." 

"I think it's a little late for that," Bucky says, nodding his head up and to the right. "We're being watched. There's a sniper trained on us from that building." 

"An archer actually," Natasha says sweetly, as she appears out of the shadows of the roof entranceway. "Most people wouldn't have spotted him." 

"Most people don't know where to look," Bucky says, watching her warily. 

Steve knows that Bucky's never had a problem with women in a position of power. He'd thought Peggy was amazing, and even when he flirted with her he never did it without respect. Still, Bucky has always been at least as chivalrous as Steve, even if he tended to hide it behind a flirty grin, and they come from a very different time. So this is probably the first time he's ever seen a lady in a skintight leather pantsuit. 

Bucky reacts with less surprise than Steve probably managed on his first encounter with Natasha. He keeps his eyes on Natasha's eyes—trying to size her up from the inside. 

Natasha's deceptively sweet grin turns a little sly, and Steve knows she's doing the same to him. "So, Captain, I see you've returned with some friends. The Boss would like to see you all. Now." She spins on her heel. "Follow me."

She doesn't look back to make sure they follow, but Steve notices Hawkeye now too, laid out flat along the building next to them, an arrow already strung. He hasn't let any of them out of his sights, and Steve knows he won't, until they follow Natasha in. 

"I do have enough power to transport us somewhere else," Loki says, looking almost hopeful. "We could—" 

"These people are my friends," Steve says firmly. "We're going to need their help." 

"These are not the friends you know," Loki reminds him. 

"Steve?" Bucky says, looking lost. He's finally managed to pull out of Steve's grip, but he doesn't look like he can stand much longer on his own. "What the hell is going on?" 

It's Bucky's condition that decides the situation for Steve. He never got to have Bucky properly checked out the first time he'd rescued him, and if he could have survived that fall they'd obviously done more to him than any of them had suspected. If Bruce was here, he wanted to make sure Bucky got a complete clean bill of health. 

Steve hates to ignore Bucky, but Bucky was right. He is a terrible liar, and the truth won't make a bit of sense. So he turns back to Loki instead. "You can go if you want," he says. He doesn't want to let the self-professed God out of his sight, but he knows he can't keep him here anyway. "I'll fix this, with or without you." 

"No, by all means," Loki says dryly. "Let's see what the little Avengers have been up to." 

Steve casually pulls Bucky's arm over his shoulders, the way Bucky had done, so many times, and leads him inside. He doesn't know if he should be worried or relieved that Loki follows right behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this as total stress relief. It is un-beta read and not to be taken too seriously! I also can't promise to finish it since it's taken me three years to get to chapter two, but I thought I might as well share!

Natasha leads them into the Avengers Tower penthouse, but it’s nothing like the one Steve left behind. The walls are unpainted and there are holes scattered across the drywall. The floors are all just uncovered cement. Natasha moves towards a large dais where the wet bar used to be, and there’s a large wing backed chair in the center of it. 

As Steve squints to make it out in the low light, it spins around. 

Tony is sitting there, one leg crossed over the other, one hand held beneath his chin while he lets the other fall off the side of the chair. “The Prodigal son returns,” Tony says dryly.

Steve stares at him in disbelief. “Tony?” 

Tony looks at him for a moment, and then sighs. “It’s too much, isn’t it?” he asks. “I told Pepper it was too much.” 

"Sir, if I may, I believe that Miss Potts was the one—" Jarvis began. 

"Shut up, Jarvis," Tony says. “I just thought I should be comfortable in our briefings. Clint found this baby on one of the hunts.” 

Loki steps up beside Steve, watching Tony with something approaching horror. “Please tell me you are not this world’s King,” he says. 

"What? No," Tony says, gracefully getting to his feet and coming down the steps to greet them. "This is America. We don't have Kings. We've got the 'World Security Council.'" The last was said complete with air quotes. Tony looked back at Steve. "Steve, seriously, what's going on? Where is it? What happened? What's with the Pips?" 

Steve frowns. "Tony—" 

"Right, forgot, you don't get the references, let's try again, but slower, and with less flair,” Tony said. “Where. Is. The. Formula?" 

"The formula," Steve repeats. 

"Did Disco Dan over there put the whammy on you or what?" Tony asks. "What the hell’s wrong with you?" 

Bucky looks at Tony and frowns speculatively. “You’re real familiar,” he says. 

“Yeah?” Tony said. “Well, I don’t know who the hell you—oh shit, wait, you look a lot like Bucky Barnes.” Tony turns to Steve in disbelief. “Please tell me this is his long lost grandkid or something? What the hell? I send you out for a simple retrieval mission and you come back with Reindeer Games and the Walking Dead?” 

"No one here understands your insignificant witticisms, mortal," Loki sneers. 

"I understood them," Jarvis says helpfully. "Very funny, sir, if I may so." 

"Thank you, Jarvis," Tony says. "It's good to know there's still someone around here with a bit of class." Tony points at Loki. “Random strangers that appear in my Tower don’t get to talk.” 

Loki frowned, watching Tony with frowning concern. “You do not know me?” 

"Oh, I think I'd remember you," Tony says, tossing him a leer. 

Loki turns his gaze back on Bucky, narrowing his eyes as he walks a half circle behind him. “What is this mortal,” he snaps, “that his absence could erase the actions of a God?” 

"I wouldn't call myself a _God_ exactly," Tony says. "At least, you know, anywhere outside of a bedroom." Tony smiles at Loki, clasping his hands behind his back and winking at him. 

Loki stares back nonplussed. “Are you hitting on me?” 

"Sort of?" Tony says. "I don't know. Maybe it's all the leather. You look up for it." He turns to Steve. "Am I misreading the signs here?" 

"I am the God, mortal," Loki sneers. "You were my bitter enemy." 

"Ignore him," Steve says. "He's from out of town." 

"Uh huh," Tony says. "From one of those new-fangled cities where gold horns are all the rage? You want to give me the real story, maybe?" 

"I am Prince Loki of Asgard, the city of the Gods," Loki says, tilting his head back. 

"Right," Tony drawls. "But seriously, you're from Latveria, right? Cause you and Doom have got that same overly dramatic fashion sense and weirdly formal way of speaking." 

"Says the guy with the gold and red metal suit," Steve reminds him. 

"What?" Tony asks, glancing over at Steve. 

"You know, Iron Man?" Steve prompts. 

"Never met him," Tony says. "He from Latveria too?" 

"What?" Steve asks in concern. "No, Tony, you're Iron Man." 

Tony glances down at himself. "Nope," he says. "I'm Tony Stark, remember? Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. The billionaire part isn't such a big deal what with the world’s economy in ruins and all, but I'm still pretty solid with the rest of it." 

"No, you're—“ Steve starts, looking at Tony's chest with a frown. He reaches out and starts pulling at his shirt.

"Hey, hey, bad touch!" Tony shouts, wiggling away from him. He slides a few feet back and wards Steve off with an outstretched hand. “Bad touch!" 

"Where's the arc?" Steve demands. "Tony—you never—and so you never—this isn't good." 

"You know what he's going on about?" Tony asks Bucky, as he reaches down and fixes his shirt. 

"Don't look at me," Bucky says with a shrug. "Last thing I knew I was falling about three hundred feet from a speeding train and it was 1942." 

"Right," Tony says, turning towards the dais. "I'm obviously going to need Scotch if we're going to continue this conversation." 

He pulls a large bottle of Scotch from behind the chair, and then throws it back to take a long drink. 

Loki watches him with a speculative gleam in his eyes. "He has no suit in this world," he says, his slips curving up. “No device attached to his heart.” 

"Stop whatever you're thinking, right now," Steve says. "Because if you'll remember, I don't need a suit to kick your ass." 

"Way I remember it you didn't 'kick my ass,' but you did have a suit," Loki says. "It was brightly colored and ridiculous." 

Bucky snorts, and Steve looks at him reproachfully. Bucky immediately turns his expression blank, blinking back at him innocently. 

“Okay, just tell me one thing,” Tony said, dropping back into his chair, letting one of his legs hang over its arm. He points at Bucky, but keeps his eyes on Steve. “Please tell me you weren’t stupid enough to go to the past and save your old war buddy’s life. Because you’re acting like this isn’t the future you know, and you’ve got someone that’s supposed to be dead, and I’m getting all kinds of concerned.” 

“Uh,” Steve says hesitantly, casting a worried look at Bucky. He should have known Tony wouldn’t take long to put the pieces together. “Well. We sort of…did that, yes.” 

Bucky’s eyes go wide and horrified. “You stupid punk!” he cried. “What were you thinking?” 

“In the Captain’s defense,” Loki says dryly, “his participation was mostly under duress.” 

“Then it’s you we have to blame for this?” a sly voice asks. 

Loki spins around, finding Natasha leaning against the wall, shrouded in shadow. He isn’t actually sure how he had managed to forget she was there, but it unnerves him. Everything about this place is unnerving him. He doesn’t like it. He tilts his head back, but doesn’t answer her. 

“You had a mission, Steve,” Natasha says, her eyes rolling back in his direction. “What happened to it?” 

“I don’t remember any mission, I’m sorry,” he admits. “Everything was mostly fine before we went to the past. It was nothing like this.” 

“Had to go and step on some butterflies, huh?” Tony sighs. “Well, that’s wonderful. We needed something else to go wrong, so thanks for that. However, before we get around to figuring out how to fix the space time continuum, we really need that formula.” 

“Clint’s on it,” Natasha says cooly, casting an assessing look at Steve before moving past him. “He’s spotted them two blocks away. He needs reinforcements.” 

“Well, unfortunately it looks like that’s just you,” Tony says. “Since our star player went and pulled a Marty McFly.” 

“What formula,” Steve demands, stepping forward in concern. He has every intention of setting this world back to rights, but he can’t just ignore conflict in the meantime. Especially not when his friends are in trouble. 

“What do you remember about world history?” Tony asks speculatively. 

“I really probably wouldn’t be great at that even back in the world I knew, so maybe you can give us a crash course,” Steve says.  
“Fair enough,” Tony sighs. “Well, I know you know World War II.” He throws a hand out, motioning to the windows, “welcome to the fallout of World War III.” 

Steve feels a little nauseous as he approaches the window to look out at the ruined landscape. Bucky follows right behind him. “What happened?” 

“We nuked the hell out of each other,” Tony says, turning away distractedly to peel at the label of his Scotch. “More than three quarters of Russia was destroyed. We lost almost all the east coast, and…well, everything but some of the most Western states really.” He glances back over at him. “It was just about right after I took control of Stark Industries, back in 1988. We only recently started trying to rebuild New York. Well. I say _we_. It’s mostly just been me so far. Everyone else that could help is staying on the other side of the wall.” 

"The wall?" Steve demands.

"Yeah, the Great Wall of Assholes. Look, we've got radiation inspired illnesses pretty much across the board, but if you head out to California it's a whole different world. Still all shiny on the surfaces, with lots of food crops and gadgets. So, you know. What usually happens happened, and the people that had all the cool toys decided they didn't really want to share, or for all us ragged survivors carrying over into their states to use up all their resources. So they built a wall." 

Tony shrugs, but Steve can see he's not nearly as nonchalant as he pretends. "Basically, it was a death sentence for anyone left over here." 

"They just left you here to die?" Steve demands. 

"Not me specifically. They actually tried to get me to go with them," Tony says dismissively. "But they wouldn't take Pepper or Happy, or any of the other thousands being left behind.“ Something steely enters his eyes. "So I told them to go screw themselves, and here we are! Which is probably for the best, cause I pretty much saved all of us that were left." 

“You should be seeing the effects of the radiation by now,” Loki says speculatively. 

"Yes, pay attention," Tony says. "Did I not say I saved us all? Well, okay. I might have had a little help." 

"From who?" Steve asks. 

"Bruce Banner," Tony says. "He sort of, you know, had a _little_ lab accident, but who strikes gold their first try, am I right? Aside from me, of course. After that, he decided not to go quite so big, and together we finally got it. It's an injection. Similar to the super soldier serum used on you, actually. Except instead of giving us any extras, it just puts our bodies back to the status quo and protects it from any radiation damage." 

“We don’t have time for this,” Natasha breaks in, stepping forward to look at Steve. “Long story short, Tony and Bruce have been working on this a long time. They came up with a half-measure cure in the nineties and its been keeping us alive. They finally got the serum perfected, and SHIELD stole it out from under us. I need to go get it back.” She watches him warily. “I’ll do it alone if I have to, but if you’re anything like our Steve Rogers, I could use the back up.” 

“But we work for SHIELD," Steve protests.

“Clint and Nat used to, but they’re defectors,” Tony tells him, before tilting his head back for another long drink of Scotch. 

“All of us,” Steve insists. “All of us worked for them.”

"What, seriously?“ Tony asks in confusion. “Because SHIELD is a bunch of bureaucratic assholes that only care about their own petty concerns." 

"Yeah, you always thought that," Steve says. "But we worked for them." 

Tony sighs, rolling off the chair and pushing to his feet. “I’m not saying they’re _evil_ ,” he says, then pauses. “Well, actually, no, they’re pretty evil. I mean, there’s a solid chance they’ll synthesize the formula and distribute it throughout the country, but there’s also that small, worrisome chance they'll only do it on the other side of the wall. And there's about a 99% chance they're not going to share it with any other country, because they don't play well with others. We need to get it back. This belongs to everyone." 

“Window’s closing. I’m leaving,” Natasha says, turning towards the elevator. “Come if you want.” 

“Loki and I will come,” Steve volunteers. 

Loki waves a hand and Natasha, Tony, and Bucky all freeze in place—they’re completely still, not even blinking, like mannequins. Steve reaches out for Bucky in worry, but Loki just heaves a sigh. “I think we have more pressing matters to attend to, wouldn’t you agree?” 

“What have you done?” Steve asks. 

“They’re fine, just thought we should discuss this privately,” Loki says, watching him carefully. “Should I take this to mean you still wish to keep your gift, even at the cost?” 

“We still don't know what happened. We don't know why things changed. We need time to figure it out,” Steve points out. “In the meantime, these people need our help.“

“I owe them nothing,” Loki says. 

“This is our fault!” Steve snaps. “All of this is on us. You said you repay your debts.”

“I never repay what I take,” Loki sneers. “To be given something, that’s something else.” 

“What did I give you?” Steve asks in confusion. 

“You saved my life,” Loki says simply. “But my debt to you is now clear. I have repaid you for my life by giving you the life of your friend.” 

“Stay here then,” Steve snaps angrily. “But let them go.” 

Loki tilts his head up, muttering to himself. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll go with you, only because I can make it go much quicker, and then we can get back to the task at hand.” 

Loki snaps his fingers and the others start moving again as though nothing happened. Bucky steps forward after Natasha. “I’ll go,” Bucky volunteers easily. 

Steve feels a dread sink straight through his bones, and follows after him. “You’re not going anywhere,” he snaps, sounding angrier than he means to. “You don’t know anything about this world!” 

"From the sound of it, neither do you. But look, far as I can tell,” he says, nodding towards Natasha, “guns still got triggers on them. I think I'll manage just fine." 

Natasha smirks, pulls a gun from her holster and tips it towards him. Steve is between them before Bucky can take it. “You’re not going,” Steve says firmly. “I’ll handle it.” 

“I’m fine,” Bucky insists. “I can help.” 

“You’re not going,” Steve says, and there must be something in his expression that gives him away—Bucky could always read him so easily—because Bucky seems to know he’s not in a mood to be reasoned with.

“Your sidelining me,” Bucky says in disbelief. “ _Me_?” 

“Bucky, please—“ Steve says. 

“All those times back in Brooklyn that I’ve had your back when you were getting into fights in back alleys, all those times—did I ever, even once, tell you not to fight?” he demands. "Did I ever once tell you that you _couldn't fight_?”

"I'm sorry," Steve says, pressing his eyes shut briefly, feeling sick even as he says it. But he’s just gotten Bucky back, he’s not going to let him follow him right into another battle that isn’t his. “I know you don't understand, but this is just—this is how it has to be. This is how it should have been. I won't let you die for me."

"I've always known I might die for you," Bucky tells him. "I've always known that, Steve. But I stayed anyway, because that's my choice.” 

"It’s not, not this time," Steve says coolly. "I'm not going to repeat my mistakes. You're staying here." 

"You son of a bitch," Bucky snaps, slamming the palm of his hand against the wall in frustration. "I thought that serum hadn't changed you. I really thought you were the same. But the Steve I knew would never have left me behind. Never."

"The Steve you knew didn't," Steve says quietly. "And he's regretted it ever since."

Steve moves past him, meeting Tony’s eyes. “We’ll help you, but I need you to keep Bucky safe until I get back.” 

“You got it, Cap,” Tony says quietly. 

“Steve,” Bucky shouts after him angrily, but Steve follows Natasha out and doesn’t look back. 

Loki studies Bucky carefully as he moves to follow them. “You’d do well to do was he says,” he cautioned, and then smirks as Bucky’s fiery eyes turn to glare at him. “But why do I suspect you won’t?”


End file.
